


Oh, there you are...

by kivalina



Category: Glee
Genre: Gen, small boys big hearts, warning for Kurt Hummel making everyone cry, warning for young Blaine with ALL of the feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 14:50:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17123411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kivalina/pseuds/kivalina
Summary: A moment what if, from a young Blaine’s POV. What if they met before the time was right, what if Blaine's moment in Original Song was a memory returning. What if....





	Oh, there you are...

**Author's Note:**

> A little thing that wedged its way into my psyche and wouldn’t let go until I had written it down.  
> 

A special thank you to my poor [gleekto](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gleekto/pseuds/gleekto) who I asked to read this over without warning her that there was angst.  
So because she asked, here is a kiss first…

It took a few months for Blaine to notice him.

When his parents dropped him off for the first day of the school year with a kiss on his cheek and a pat on the back, Blaine had dashed off to see which of his friends were in his class—Andrew and Michel were, but Mike had moved away over the summer, and Sean wasn’t his friend anymore because he shoved Sarah and called Jose a bad name and wouldn’t say sorry—and to choose his spot for attendance and quiet time.

And then school started and there was tag at recess and schoolwork and sports and so much to do that he barely even noticed the little cluster of girls who alternated between bossing the boys around and pretending they didn’t exist. They were just too confusing and he was still mad because Emily had laughed at his curls. Maybe his mom would buy him some pomade like his dad uses. He doesn’t like being made fun of.

But if he had paid more attention, maybe he would have seen the pale, pink-cheeked boy playing merrily in their midst; singing songs, arguing loudly about something that Sean and his mean friends would sneer at, colouring quietly, and marrying his Power Rangers off in elaborate ceremonies with Anna Chen’s Malibou Barbie serving as the Justice of the Peace.

Maybe if Blaine had looked, he would have seen the boy earlier and he would know what he looked like when he smiled.

Because he never does now.

Blaine remembers the day the boy stopped smiling though, even if he doesn’t remember the smiling. A man in a old ball cap and overalls came to the classroom in the middle of their spelling test and Mrs. Ellis spoke to him and then called the boy—Kurt—to the door, told him to bring his coat. Kurt flung him arms around the man—his Dad—who swept him up in his arms and left the class.

Blaine remembers the sound of a little boy’s heart breaking in the hallway. He cried himself to sleep that night and he didn’t even really know why. It was like Kurt’s pain was too much for just him, so Blaine caught some of it in the overflow.

Kurt came back to school a couple of weeks later. Mrs. Ellis told them that his mother had died so to be extra nice to him, but Maria tried to hug him the day he came back and he started crying and told everyone to leave him alone… and so they did.

Only now, Blaine can’t seem to stop himself from watching him. Wishing he was brave enough to walk over and sit next to him. He bets Kurt is lonely and Blaine wants to be his friend. He wants to hug him until his eyes don’t look so sad.

Also, now that he’s noticed him, Blaine thinks Kurt is lovely in a way that makes his heart grow bright and happy, just like when he watches that scene in The Little Mermaid where Ariel watches Prince Eric on the ship and dreams of another world and dancing in the arms of her own prince.

 _Kurt_.

Blaine likes the sound of the name on his tongue—he practiced at home, trying to think of what he could say that would make Kurt’s mouth tilt into a smile—he likes to draw out the vowel and let the ’t’ sound out like the punctuation in that Victor Borge sketch his Mama loves so much (Blaine likes the part where he has to strap himself to the [piano bench with a seatbelt](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2jdk18_6c4). He giggles every time).

And then yesterday Kurt stood up in music class.

Blaine isn’t sure he had even heard him speak before then, but he raised his hand and in the hush that followed, he said, “Mr. Carter? If I may?” And when Mr. Carter nodded and sat down, Kurt lifted his chin and looked so brave and said that this was [his Mama’s favourite song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-cZ_ElJ1oA) and he missed her.

Blaine had never heard the song before, but he wants to ask his Papa about the band and maybe ask if he can buy the cd, because when Kurt sang, something felt like it broke open in Blaine’s chest. It was sad and beautiful and Kurt’s voice was like Ariel singing to a spellbound Eric.

Then, as Kurt sang, his eyes wandered over the faces of the class, and met Blaine’s for a moment… and caught. Blaine’s eyes prickled with tears and he couldn’t quite catch his breath as Kurt sang the last refrain to him, storm grey eyes locked onto his, searching for… something? Blaine wanted run to Kurt to tell him how beautiful the song was and how sorry he was about his mom, but when Kurt’s voice trailed off and the bell rang, suddenly it was all too much for him and, dashing the tears from his eyes, he ran out the classroom.

Maybe if he’d looked he would have seen Kurt stare after him.

Maybe he would have seen the flicker of hope fade.

Maybe he could have said goodbye.

Because today Kurt wasn’t in school. Mrs. Ellis said his Papa had a new shop in Lima and that he’d be going to a new school. Blaine looks down at the wrapped gift in his hand—a framed drawing of a blackbird that he had spent all night trying to get just right—with its neatly printed tag: To Kurt, Can we be friends? From Blaine. He places the gift carefully back in his bookbag and takes his seat, trying very hard not to cry and stares out the window.

At lunch, Anna Chen asks Blaine if he wants to sit with her. He says yes and collects his lunch money from his bag. Maybe she can tell him more about Kurt, who he’s sure could have been a wonderful friend, and Blaine makes a vow to himself to look for Kurt when he’s bigger.

Even if he has to look for him forever.


End file.
